Improvement in ice-creepers



T. GUNSALUS.

ICE-' CREEPERS. n No. 180,578. Patented A1191, 1876,v

N.PETERS. PHDTOAJMDGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D (J4 UNITED STATES TNT .GEEIOE THOMAS eUNsALUs, OE vvEsT TROY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN ICE-CREEPERS.

Specification forming part of Letters PatentNo. 180,578, ,dated August l, 1876; application tiled January 4, 1876.

To all whom it mag/concern:

Be it known that T, THOMAS GUEsALUs, of West Troy, in the county ot' Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice-Creepers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertaius to make and use the same, ret'- erence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of .reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speciiication, and in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my im` proved ice-spur. Fig. 2 is a side view, and Figs. 3 and 4 are modicatins of' my invention.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

The object of my invention is to construct a cheap, durable, and easily adjustable and detachable ice-spur or ice-creeper, for the purpose of preventing thel wearer from slipping and falling upon icy and slippery pavements, &c. The construction of my improved icespur is hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawing, A is the body ot' the icespur, having a suitable number (three or more) ot radial arms, a, concave on the under side, and terminating` in knife-points, as shown at b. Body A has a downward-projecting spur, c, which projects beyond the knife-edges b, and the object of which is to enter the frozen ground first, thus affording a preliminary grasp, which is afterward strengthened by edges b. B is an ordinary metallic screw, Jforming part of, and extending' upwardly from, body A. By this screw my improved icecreeper may be secured to any Ordinary boot or shoe.

The object in having the arms or knives a concave is, as will be readily seen, to allow the sharp edges or points b to enter more read-l ily into the surface of the icewhen used, thus preventing the possibility of slipping.

Instead of the radial arms a, it may sometimes be preferable to have only two arms eX- tending from the bodyA, one on each side, and each of these arms having one or more cross-pieces, both arms and cross-pieces being shaped like the arms a before mentioned.

An ice-Creeper Ot' this construction is shown in Fig. 3, where d are the arms, and e the crosspieces.

In order to strengthen the arms a, a brace, D, as shown in Fig. 4, may be used without changing the nature ot' my invention.

The manner ot' using my improved ice-spur or ice-Creeper will be readily understood from the foregoing description. It is by means of the screw D, attached to the heel of the noot or shoe, the wearer of which is then prevented from slipping and falling. When not in use it may be easily detached and carried in the pocket.

I am aware that ice-Creepers have been-constructed consisting of a solid body having downward-projectingspurs and an upwardprojecting screw, for attaching them to the heels of boots or shoes; but these have been objectionable O11 account of the difficulty of removing them when it is not desired to use them. 'lhe armsa Of'my improved ice-creepers afford a ready grasp for the ngers when it is desired to unscrew them.

'It will also be observed that my improved ice-Creepers, on account of the spaces between arms a, are not so easily blocked up by snow and ice, and thus rendered inoperative and useless, as those consistingof a mere solid plate having downward-projecting spurs.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- The ice-creep r herein described, consisting otl body A, sorcwB, concave arms et, having sharp edges b, and central spur c, the latter projecting beyond the edges b, constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my Own I have hereunto aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS GUNSALUS. Witnesses:

LUTHER G. PHILO, HARRIET A. PHILO. 

